Athalia
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "truth" or "truthful".
Name Census estimates that about 838 living Americans carry the first name Athalia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Athalia today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Athalia births was 2024 (86 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Athalia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
838
~ 1 in 409,015 Americans
Peak year
2024
86 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,189
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Athalia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Athalia from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 337 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Athalia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Athalia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Athalias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Athalia, while Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Athalia
The name Athalia has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name "Athaliah," which means "Jehovah is exalted." This name can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible, where it is attributed to a princess who later became the queen of Judah.
Athalia was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, two notorious rulers in the Bible known for their idolatry and wickedness. Despite her royal lineage, Athalia is remembered for her cruelty and disregard for the worship of Jehovah. After the death of her son, King Ahaziah, she seized the throne by killing all of her own grandchildren, except for one, who was hidden and later became the rightful heir to the throne.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Athalia can be found in the biblical account of 2 Kings 11, which describes her reign and eventual downfall. Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Athalia or its variations.
One such figure was Athalia Schwartz (1871-1938), a pioneering American social worker and activist who fought for the rights of immigrants and the poor. Another notable Athalia was Athalia Henrietta Fowler (1868-1954), an English botanist and educator who made significant contributions to the study of plant life.
In the literary world, Athalia was the name of a character in the French playwright Jean Racine's biblical tragedy "Athalie" (1691), which dramatized the story of the biblical queen. The name Athalia was also used by the English poet and playwright John Dryden in his adaptation of Racine's work, titled "Athaliah" (1670).
Another notable Athalia was Athalia Henriette Behn (1641-1705), an English writer and playwright who was one of the first professional female writers in English literature. She was known for her satirical works and plays that challenged societal norms and gender roles.
Despite its biblical origins and historical references, the name Athalia has remained relatively uncommon throughout history. However, it has endured as a unique and intriguing name with a rich cultural heritage and literary associations.
People
Athalia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Athalia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Athalia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Athalia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 838 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Athalia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 409,015 US residents.
Is Athalia a common name?
We classify Athalia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 911 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Athalia most popular?
The single biggest year for Athalia was 2024, when 86 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Athalia is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Athalia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Athalia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.